Donald Trump & the 2016 Race
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20160328upc_cover61404-postal.qxd 3/8/2016 6:53 PM Page 1 March 28, 2016 $4.99 The Cllown Prince DONALD TRUMP & THE 2016 RACE DAVID FRENCH N RAMESH PONNURU REIHAN SALAM N KEVIN D. WILLIAMSON THE EDITORS www.nationalreview.com base_milliken-mar 22.qxd 5/11/2015 1:07 PM Page 2 base_milliken-mar 22.qxd 5/11/2015 1:07 PM Page 3 TOC_QXP-1127940144.qxp 3/9/2016 2:39 PM Page 1 Contents MARCH 28, 2016 | VOLUME LXVIII, NO. 5 | www.nationalreview.com ON THE COVER Page 30 The Father-Führer Charles C. W. Cooke on NASCAR The white American underclass is in p. 35 thrall to a vicious, selfish culture whose main products are misery and used heroin needles. Donald Trump’s BOOKS, ARTS speeches make them feel good. So & MANNERS does OxyContin. What they need isn’t 40 A TURNING POINT FOR analgesics, literal or political. They CONSERVATIVES Henry Olsen reviews Why the need real opportunity, which means Right Went Wrong: that they need real change, which Conservatism from Goldwater to the Tea Party and Beyond, means that they need U-Haul. Kevin D. Williamson by E. J. Dionne Jr. COVER: ROMAN GENN 42 THE CRITIC’S ART Elizabeth Powers reviews Better Living through Criticism: How ARTICLES to Think about Art, Pleasure, Beauty, and Truth, by A. O. Scott. 18 NEVER TRUMP by Ramesh Ponnuru Politics and principle alike provide reasons to oppose him. 44 INSIDE THE MASTER TRUMP’S TENT REVIVAL by David French Lauren Weiner reviews 20 Autobiographies, by Henry James. Evangelicals are supporting the mogul, but far from monolithically. BEYOND THE WALL by Reihan Salam 45 THE REAL LAND OF 22 ILLUSIONS On immigration from Mexico, Trump is not entirely wrong. Peter Tonguette reviews West of SOVEREIGNTY ASSAULTED by John R. Bolton & John Yoo Eden: An American Place, 25 by Jean Stein. Will the Constitution be cast aside in favor of international law? FREEDOM U by Jay Nordlinger 47 FILM: TESTIMONY FROM HELL 27 Ross Douthat reviews Son of Saul. A unicorn of a university in Central America. FEATURES SECTIONS 30 THE FATHER-FÜHRER by Kevin D. Williamson Chaos in the family, chaos in the state. 4 Letters to the Editor BLACK VOTERS, TOO, WANT A CHOICE, NOT AN ECHO by Theodore Johnson 6 The Week 33 The Long View . Rob Long The GOP and conservative principles can supply the lack. 38 39 Athwart . James Lileks 35 NASCAR NATION by Charles C. W. Cooke 43 Poetry . Len Krisak Americans love the speedway, even if elites don’t. 48 Happy Warrior . Sonny Bunch NATIONAL REVIEW (ISSN: 0028-0038) is published bi-weekly, except for the first issue in January, by N ATIONAL REVIEW, Inc., at 215 Lexington Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and additional mailing offices. © National Review, Inc., 2016. Address all editorial mail, manuscripts, letters to the editor, etc., to Editorial Dept., N ATIONAL REVIEW, 215 Lexington Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016. Address all subscription mail orders, changes of address, undeliverable copies, etc., to NATIONALREVIEW, Circulation Dept., P. O. Box 433015, Palm Coast, Fla. 32143-3015; phone, 386-246-0118, Monday–Friday, 8:00A.M . to 10:30 P.M. Eastern time. Adjustment requests should be accompanied by a current mailing label or facsimile. Direct classified advertising inquiries to: Classifieds Dept., NATIONALREVIEW, 215 Lexington Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016 or call 212-679- 7330. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to N ATIONAL REVIEW, Circulation Dept., P. O. Box 433015, Palm Coast, Fla. 32143-3015. Printed in the U.S.A. RATES: $59.00 a year (24 issues). Add $21.50 for Canada and other foreign subscriptions, per year. (All payments in U.S. currency.) The editors cannot be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork unless return postage or, better, a stamped, self-addressed envelope is enclosed. Opinions expressed in signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of the editors. base_milliken-mar 22.qxd 3/7/2016 12:29 PM Page 1 letters_QXP-1127940387.qxp 3/9/2016 2:40 PM Page 4 Letters MARCH 28 ISSUE; PRINTED MARCH 10 EDITOR Richard Lowry Senior Editors My Friend Florence Richard Brookhiser / Jonah Goldberg / Jay Nordlinger Ramesh Ponnuru / David Pryce-Jones Managing Editor Jason Lee Steorts Literary Editor Michael Potemra I’d like to express my thanks Vice President, Editorial Operations Christopher McEvoy Washington Editor Eliana Johnson to John O’Sullivan for his Executive Editor Reihan Salam honest and insightful tribute Roving Correspondent Kevin D. Williamson National Correspondent John J. Miller to my dear old friend Florence Senior Political Correspondent Jim Geraghty Chief Political Correspondent Tim Alberta King, who died recently after Art Director Luba Kolomytseva Deputy Managing Editors a long and glorious career Nicholas Frankovich / Fred Schwarz as a writer in varied genres Production Editor Katie Hosmer Assistant to the Editor Rachel Ogden (“More than a ‘Misanthrope,’” Research Associate Alessandra Trouwborst February 15). Hard as it is to Contributing Editors Shannen Coffin / Ross Douthat / Roman Genn believe, Florence and I first Arthur L. Herman / Lawrence Kudlow met 60 years ago at the Uni - Mark R. Levin / Yuval Levin / Rob Long Mario Loyola / Jim Manzi / Andrew C. McCarthy versity of Mississippi, where Kate O’Beirne / Andrew Stuttaford / Robert VerBruggen she was studying history NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE and I was working on a Ph.D. Managing Editors Katherine Connell / Edward John Craig Deputy Managing Editor Nat Brown in English. Among a large National-Affairs Columnist John Fund Staff Writers Charles C. W. Cooke / David French percentage of graduate stu- Senior Political Reporter Alexis Levinson Political Reporter Brendan Bordelon dents who were radicals of Reporter Katherine Timpf one kind or another, Flor - Associat e Editors Molly Powell / Nick Tell Digital Director Ericka Anderson ence and I soon found each Assistant Editor Mark Antonio Wright Technical Services Russell Jenkins other and recognized a fel- Web Editorial Assistant Grant DeArmitt Web Developer Wendy Weihs low conservative. That kin- Web Producer Scott McKim ship of spirit served as the Florence Virginia King, 1936−2016 EDITORS- AT- L A RG E bond for our six-decade- Linda Bridges / Kathryn Jean Lopez / John O’Sullivan long friendship. NATIONAL REVIEW INSTITUTE I delighted all those years in her books—hilarious, but also perceptive BUCKLEYFELLOWSINPOLITICALJOURNALISM Elaina Plott / Ian Tuttle and truthful—and her NATIONAL REVIEW columns. Best of all, I cherish Contributors the many letters she wrote to me, all of which I have saved, reread often, Hadley Arke s / James Bowman / Eliot A. Cohen and shared with like-minded conservative friends. In the last couple of Dinesh D’Souza / Chester E. Finn Jr. / Neal B. Freeman James Gardner / David Gelernter / George Gilder years, we commiserated with each other on the pains and losses inherent Jeffrey Hart / Kevin A. Hassett / Charles R. Kesler David Klinghoffer / Anthony Lejeune / D. Keith Mano in old age. Both of us were only children in our families who had chosen Michael Novak / Alan Reynolds / Tracy Lee Simmons Terry Teachout / Vin Weber to spend our lives alone—without regret—depending upon ourselves for Chief Financial Officer James X. Kilbridge spiritual and emotional support. Accounting Manager Galina Veygman Accountant Lyudmila Bolotinskaya These letters were atypical, concerned as they were with morose topics, Business Services Alex Batey Circulation Manager Jason Ng but even in the midst of discussing such problems, Florence’s incompa- Advertising Director Jim Fowler rable sense of humor never failed, and in the very last of those brilliant Advertising Manager Kevin Longstreet letters, she told me that she was ready to leave this life but hoped to Assistant to the Publisher Brooke Rogers remain long enough to “find out what is going to happen on Downton Director of Revenue Erik Netcher Abbey.” I received notification of her death minutes before the first PUBLISHERCHAIRMAN episode of the last season of that series began. Alas, Florence missed it. Jack Fowler John Hillen Rest in peace, my dear old friend. “When comes such another?” FOUNDER William F. Buckley Jr. PATRONS AND BENEFACTORS Kenneth Holditch Robert Agostinelli Mr. and Mrs. Michael Conway New Orleans, La. Mark and Mary Davis Virginia James Christopher M. Lantrip Brian and Deborah Murdock Peter J. Travers Letters may be sub mitted by e-mail to [email protected]. 4 | www.nationalreview.com MARCH 2 8 , 2 0 1 6 base_milliken-mar 22.qxd 3/7/2016 12:33 PM Page 1 At a High School Conference at the Reagan Ranch... Your Teenager Can Walk in President Reagan’s Footsteps and Learn Conservative Ideas You can send your child to visit life will expand his or her knowledge Ronald Reagan’s California ranch of economics, American history, to learn about the 20th Century’s personal responsibility, and President greatest president. What better way Reagan’s lasting accomplishments to celebrate freedom than by walking through a series of innovative in President Reagan’s footsteps lectures, discussions, and briefings. and learning about the ideas he For dates and information, and to championed? register a student for this invaluable, At a Young America’s Foundation historical experience, please contact High School Conference at the Young America’s Foundation’s Reagan Ranch, the student in your conference director at 800-USA-1776. 4HE2EAGAN2ANCH#ENTERs3TATE3TREETs3ANTA"ARBARA #ALIFORNIAs 53! .ATIONAL(EADQUARTERSs#OMMERCE0ARK$RIVE 3IXTH&LOORs2ESTON 6IRGINIAs 53! www.yaf.org For information and to apply for this and other conferences, please visit YAF.org or contact Conference Director Jolie Ballantyne at 800-USA-1776 or [email protected] week_QXP-1127940387.qxp 3/9/2016 2:40 PM Page 6 The Week n We wish Trump talked this much about the size of his government.